Windrow Estate Church
The Church on the Windrow Estate is located a mile or so outside the town of Van Twiller, New York (The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost, 44). Background The church was built between 1900 and 1909 (Revenge, 81) and is easily the most eye-catching attraction with its four-hundred foot tall steeple rising above the tree-line The entrance to the church from the mansion is a “small stone porch...stuck onto the side” (Revenge, 77). Inside was a vaulted, ribbed, stone ceiling, and two rows of pointed arches marched down the nave toward the altar at the eastern end (Revenge, 79). While the church is said to be an exact copy of Salisbury Cathedral in England (Revenge, 44), Professor Childermass later discovers one difference: “There is no crypt in the original church, but there's one in this building...” (Revenge, 80). Access to the crypt is behind the main altar at the eastern end of the church. The crypt, 39 steps below the church floor (Revenge, 80), contains the final resting place of many Windrow family members, including Ensign Edmund "Ulysses Theodore" French, the man who married Zebulon Windrow's only daughter. Outside, at the tip of the four-hundred foot tall stone steeple is a red warning light (Revenge, 72). The Revenge of the Wizard’s Ghost About the time Johnny Dixon is being possessed by the spirit of Warren Windrow in Duston Heights, Zebulon’s estate outside Van Twiller is undergoing renovations. Having remained empty and slowly decaying in the decades after Zebulon’s death, a private foundation has recently purchased the property with the intention to repair and open the buildings as a tourist attraction on Memorial Day of 1952. Workmen crowd the estate during the day, forcing Professor Childermass and Fergie to make nightly visits to the mansion and church. The night the two discover the vault under the church they also come across a doorway leading to a lower crypt (Revenge, 82) – which turns out to be nothing but a dark, empty cavernous area with sparkling, white pillars – of salt. Inspiration Bellairs notes the Windrow church is a near-duplicate of England’s Salisbury Cathedral, officially known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This medieval cathedral is known for its many records: the tallest church spire in the United Kingdom (404 feet); the largest cloister; and the largest cathedral close in Britain (80 acres). Inside are the world's oldest working clock (from AD 1386) and one of the four surviving original copies of Magna Carta. The main body of this Anglican cathedral was completed in only 38 years, from 1220 to 1258. The Very Reverend Hugh Dickinson says that because they take so many generations to build, “almost all other English Cathedrals are a mixture of different architectural styles. However the main body of Salisbury Cathedral which includes the tower and West Front, was completed in a mere 38 years.” There were other sections built later, most notably the tower and spire in 1320. While an impressive sight, the tower and spire proved somewhat troublesome when you realize they added over 6 thousand tons to the weight of the building. Knowing that, it’s a wonder the cathedral is still standing.... In 2008, the cathedral celebrated the 750th anniversary of its consecration in 1258. Category:Things Category:Buildings Category:Churches Category:The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost content Category:New York things